


Bad Dreams in... Well, Everywhere, Actually.

by nicxlas



Category: Bleach
Genre: A theory on top of a theory, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Hollow Cannibalism, M/M, No Smut, OC characters, Post CFYOW, mention: hate crimes, mention: mass shootings, mention: san diego, more platonic than anything else, wrote this in one day
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-02
Updated: 2019-08-11
Packaged: 2020-07-29 17:06:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20085739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nicxlas/pseuds/nicxlas
Summary: He agrees with Kurosaki's compromise to not fight him during college, which means the poor ex-Espada travels the world fighting weak Hollows and eating them, scaring the shit outta humans, Soul Reapers, the like out of boredom.Rediscovering a certain shopkeeper was not the plan.Wanting to kill said shopkeeper will most certainly become the plan since people never learn to keep their hands off his prey.





	1. Discovery at the Worst (or Best?) of Times

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a weird AU.
> 
> This whole thing is inspired by captain_ichimaru's post from Instagram about Kisuke's motives (https://www.instagram.com/p/B0O5Hr6FWys/?igshid=10k6ppk4cezwf) and possible plot during/after CFYOW (basically becoming the villain he was supposed to be). Within the post it explains how Kisuke will possibly continue on his pursuit of science and use Ichigo for it. 
> 
> Based off of that, I created this AU where Kisuke does the thing, but Ichigo wins (duh) and cuts off ties with Kisuke Urahara, a decision that tears him apart but he has to in order to protect his friends and family (everyone else is also devastated at Kisuke's actions). This is a theory that might explain how we do not see Kisuke or his shop in the epilogue at all: Kisuke Urahara is GONE from Karakura Town.
> 
> And Grimmjow is the last to know.
> 
> Until now.

That bastard Kurosaki.

He knows EXACTLY how to get under his tough Hierro without even a swing of Zangetsu.

Walking the lone streets of Downtown San Diego with only some homelessness and late night couples roaming about, Grimmjow kicks a few leaves along the way down the Gaslamp on Fifth Avenue. Even a few rocks from the sidewalk trees. He stuffs his hands in his white faux leather jacket with inner black lining, a black shirt fitting just right around his toned body and dark jeans to match. Crystal blue eyes glance up at the shining stars above, jet night casting above the city.

No matter where he goes, the skies are the same. 

From Karakura Town where he's probably destroyed over half of the city with his old battles with Kurosaki, to the bright cities of Tokyo, Seoul... Countries of China, Russia, and into Europe to see the sights of massive architecture only other Arrancar and Hollows once wallowed about, and traveled across the ocean into North America. 

After even more tedious travel among the states, he can say one thing about America: Hollows are EVERYWHERE. Ten times more than in Japan. Too many people dying and shit. Even the former Sexta cringes at the horrors humans do to each other. 

Through his reflections, Grimmjow makes it back to his hotel room, using all resources Kisuke Urahara gave him once that stupid Quincy War ended. IDs, cards, currency from all over, passports with other documents... Grimmjow is set for the years to come, actually. Least the time spent while Kurosaki does god knows what in school. College. What a dumbass excuse. He didn't think about his education while saving the princess, so why does he care now? 

The question deepens his scowl, his hand searching through his dark jean pocket as he picks out his Soul Candy with a Cat mascot. Another fine gift from the shopkeeper. With a deep inhale and soft exhale, he swallows and a vibration shakes the barrier between his Gigai and Soul before it separates with a soft power. Back in his normal soul form. Beautiful. Grimmjow catches his body just as it moves awake, making swift time to separate and check on the usual shit: search out spiritual energy, check how many Hollows are around, make sure no Soul Reaper's are around... Good? Good. Grimmjow rolls his eyes as his Mod Soul comments on how tedious this weekly ritual is. It's weird to see his body move in ways that isn't his own... Still weird. With a shake of his head Grimmjow phases through the hotel wall and uses sonido to catch up with a few flying Hollows soaring the night sky.

His prey.

And damn, they are DELICIOUS. Their screams of fear even more so. He digs into their flesh with bare teeth, ripping them apart both physically and mentally, nails gripping and tearing them limb from limb. 

Quite the buffet if he says so himself.

Satisfaction soothes his spirit as he licks the back of his hand of Hollow blood, seeing the rest of the Hollow dead disappear into darkness. 

He snarls to himself, adjusting his jacket as he sonidos elsewhere in this night. 

He encounters smaller towns of San Diego, walking on nothing up in the sky watching any humans down below. Even without the blazing sun, locals and tourists alike congregate near the cove, indulging in late night dinners and sweets from various shops. Grimmjow rolls his eyes, lowering himself to the concrete sidewalk of Downtown La Jolla. Blue eyes scout passerby, though quickly dismissing every human as he always does: none catch his interest of any kind. Even to just mess with and create rumors of hauntings in a non-haunting area. 

Grimmjow halts mid-step, eyes widening slightly as a soft, familiar breeze meets the back of his neck. This energy touches his body as though a person softly touches one's arm, and quickly goes away. He whips his head to the cause, sprinting in an instant as sonido is not needed. Down the hill he goes! He skids to a stop as he nears the metal railing that separates the humans from the cliff side of the cove, now fast walking to the source of this energy. VERY familiar... His eyes narrow at a seated area down a dirt staircase, his vision working with the night to see better of this shadow figure. Grimmjow quickly regains calm as he nonchalantly steps down, entering the hooded square sitting area that has a beautiful view of the pacific ocean.

He can see it now. 

He isn't wearing his usual get up, but that's the fucker alright.

"You don't need to follow me, I ain't eating human souls." Straight to the point.

The figure looks behind him, tilting down a bucket hat similar to shape but not color (even though the smug bastard doesn't need to do such a thing). "Well, if it isn't Mr. Jaegerjaquez."

"Cut the shit, Kisuke." Grimmjow steps closer.

The silence that swims around the duo almost makes Grimmjow want to rise back up for breath. It's drowning the two of them.

"... Perhaps Kurosaki-san was right." 

Grimmjow straightens his posture, crossing his arms over his chest. "Depends on what it is."

"Mmm." Kisuke turns to face the dark ocean. "Right about you." 

The ex-Espada raises a brow at the shopkeeper. He scoffs. "Not a chance."

"I quote, 'Grimmjow will kill you once he finds out.'"

Grimmjow's lip thin together before frowning, an eye twitching at Kisuke's usual demeanor and lack of conversing. Usual bullshit. "Tell me before I kill you anyway." 

Kisuke turns back with his usual creepy grin, a hand grasping the top of his hat as he exits the small space and up the ground stairs. 

Oh hell no. Grimmjow almost pounces towards Kisuke's direction before the feel of metal to soft skin forces him to a halt. He lightly growls, blue eyes eyeing on the tip of Kisuke's cane, though he can sense Benihime's spiritual energy almost nipping his neck. 

"I'd advise not to cause any trouble, Grimmjow-san."

"'The fuck's wrong with you?!" Grimmjow questions as he pushes the cane away.

"Taking precautions is normal! Nothing wrong with a little caution."

"You reeked of caution since the day I met ya, now you're drenched in that shit." Grimmjow pushes against Kisuke's shoulder as he passes through. He dismissively waves back. "Fuck off then, I'll ask the Berry myself."

"We'll meet again then! Next time I'll make tea."

The Arrancar scowls in response to the man's sing-song voice, never to turn back to even glance at the mad scientist.

He does, however, make way to the other side of the world, welcoming Karakura Town in the most fashionably Arrancar way possible: ruining the jobs of other Soul Reapers by eating their Hollows instead.

Grimmjow even leaves a nice, wholesome, bloody Hollow trail from Kurosaki's college to the Shoten-

If it was there.

Grimmjow's eyes widen at the plain old shack of a shop. No big sign on top, no merchandise inside or any other weird candy bullshit, no big kidou master, no ex-clan cat, and not even that weird duo who kicked his ass long ago.

Everything's gone.

He exits the shop through the entrance, glancing back once more with furrowed brows. Perhaps he missed something... He strides back over to the entrance, a skilled rough hand about to grasp the door-

"Stop fucking up my schedule!" 

Yes. Sweet bliss. Music to his ears. 

"Yo, Kurosaki." Grimmjow turns around with his all knowing smirk, leaning against the door. "Been a while."

"Only-" Ichigo catches himself, eyes widening. He slowly loosens his hold on Zangetsu, shifting his stance. "... Shit." He glances down at the pavement.

"You're lucky I've been compliant." Grimmjow steps off of the door, striding quickly towards the Substitute Soul Reaper. "No barging in on classes, no advances near your house or crowded areas- You're too busy with stupid school Kurosaki, get a break!"

"Within two months I'll fight you all break, how 'bout that?" Ichigo asks with a grin. "Seriously, why are you by this place? You got all you needed from him before he left."

"'Bout that Kurosaki..." Grimmjow faces Ichigo fully in front. "I saw him a couple of days ago."

His eyes narrow as Kurosaki's eyes widen. Brown eyes showcase a past Grimmjow missed out on. The shock and, dare he guesses, fear, quickly disappears in exchange for guarded defense. Even the blazing, passionate fire in Kurosaki's eye that Grimmjow last saw a year ago seem to have simmered to a small camp fire. 

Grimmjow eyes the ginger as he steps closer. "'The fuck happened, Kurosaki?! Fuck!" He whips around with a wave gesturing about. "Should've just killed him when I had the chance!"

"Oi! He left, he's not here anymore, just settle the fuck down already." A brush against his shoulder grabs Grimmjow's attention as Ichigo passes the Arrancar, opening the sliding door to the old shop. "If you want to know, follow me. It's old news to us now." Before Ichigo looks back to see Grimmjow, the ex-Espada already pushes pass the Soul Reaper.

"I already looked around."

"Training Grounds."

His blue eyes follow the path Kurosaki leads, suspicions of what the mad scientist might have done invading his train of thought. Before Grimmjow knows it he lands onto the familiar dirt ground of the grounds, trained eyes on Kurosaki who continues through the space. He stops right beside one of the largest boulders of the area and without even looking, cuts through the rock like butter to blade, forcing the mirage to disappear into nothing.

Revealing possibly one of the worst kept projects Kisuke's ever put together (stacks of paper almost torn or burnt yet roped together, different kinds of katana either sheathed or not, and some sort of makeshift device). 

What catches Grimmjow's attention is a reflection of light.

From an orb that's about a foot away from the other items.

Which looks very familiar to-

"That motherfucker never stops, does he?" A rhetorical question escapes Grimmjow's lips as he strides over to Kurosaki, eyeing the last of Kisuke's work.

"It's not what you think." Ichigo glances over at Grimmjow.

"Really now? No wonder he gave me bad vibes no matter what good he did." Grimmjow gestures over to the orb on the ground. “Almost a replica of the Hogyoku.”

“It wasn’t made for that purpose, Grimmjow.” 

“He’s just like Aizen: using others like they’re nothing.”

Grimmjow doesn’t notice the flinch in Kurosaki’s body.

“Maybe I was gone for too long. Did he fuck up Soul Society too?” Grimmjow asks over as he crouches down, eyeing the orb.

“You’re more talkative than ever, Grimm.”

“Then give me answers before I rely on brute force and bloodshed, dumbass.” Grimmjow looks behind him over his shoulder to see Kurosaki looking down behind him. Possibly the longest pause between them occurs as Kurosaki glances at the bundled items before he crosses over, using Zangetsu to push the orb away.

“That thing was used for Soul Society, specifically from an old idea Kyoraku had about a new Soul King.” Ichigo pauses, sheathing Zangetsu on his back and leans against a boulder across from the mess. “To seal away one’s soul into that but to never lose its power, a type of soul separation that derives from another country apparently. He was researching about that for awhile now.”

As Kurosaki keeps explaining, Grimmjow returns to standing and eyes the orb with suspicion and disdain. His blue eyes keep glancing at Kurosaki as pieces from the story and what he knows of the old shopkeeper attach together like a puzzle, yet a part of his gathering hopes it stirs away from a conclusion he suspects… If he’s right, he’ll open a Garganta right this second and kill the bastard with no remorse. 

“Remember Tokinada?”

“What about that psycho?”

“Says the psycho,” Ichigo smirks back which earns a growl from the Arrancar, “I would’ve helped out more but he posed a different threat for myself and my family, so I traveled there to take it down. Lo and behold,” Ichigo gestures with a hand with a dark chuckle, “Kisuke shows up and helps out.” 

His gaze towards Grimmjow darkens a bit. “His own way, of course.”

Grimmjow keeps his eyes and ears on Kurosaki with his arms crossed over his chest. 

“Using that instance and all of our ties, he basically blind sided all of us in the end.” Ichigo breaks his gaze from Grimmjow, staring off to a random part of the grounds. He nods over with his chin towards the orb. “The Soul King keeps balance, remember?”

“This isn’t a test Kurosaki.”

Ichigo lightly smirks. “I know. Just a reminder. Right now Soul Society is using the corpse of Juha Bach to balance the worlds.”

Grimmjow’s eyes narrow. 

“They had other options.”

The grips of his hands to his biceps tighten. 

“There’s no one else with reiatsu signatures of all spiritual species.”

Grimmjow’s jaw clenches, teeth grinding hard against each other. His spiritual pressure rises and intensifies.

“... Should’ve known I would be a target to them-"

Ichigo jumps at the harsh wave of energy, snapping his head to the source: part of the grounds now non-existent to the slash of Pantera, witnessing Grimmjow’s panting breaths of anger, resentment… Possessiveness?

Ichigo’s eyes widen at the inhuman sound of space separating, pitch black now in sight. “Grimmjow, wait-!” He reaches out.

“No one messes with my prey, Kurosaki!” Grimmjow lightly jumps into the Garganta, sparing a glance back to the Soul Reaper. Blue, vicious eyes meet brown, anxious ones. “You should know that by now.”

Pitch black pinches together, sewing back the space that once was.


	2. The Start

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be mentions in this story of San Diego as well as places within San Diego that are real, but the story is of course fiction. If you're curious about a certain place I mentioned, search it up! San Diego is a cool city.
> 
> I will also put mentions of any possible triggers within notes of each chapter if need be. It's also tagged up above.
> 
> Mentions: a reference to mass shootings.

“Motherfucker!”

Ichigo hisses between his teeth with a sharp gesture of his hand. He rubs his face roughly with an exasperated groan. The incident is over, done with, and buried six feet under. Grimmjow is going to uncover that coffin and open it up wide to kill an already dead corpse. Which is NOT going to end well.

Can’t he ever... NOT do shit like this? The question has always repeated in his mind since the War against Juha Bach. Ever since Grimmjow thought it best to barge into Ichigo’s college and demand a fight, or waltz into Karakura like it’s none of his business. His business apparently was to fight Ichigo every damn week it seemed. Ichigo thanks his lucky stars that Grimmjow even agreed to his terms last winter break. It was a Christmas Miracle in Ichigo’s book.

Now he might have to rip an enraged Grimmjow from a dead Urahara corpse if he doesn’t find the blue haired Arrancar soon enough. By soon, within a day. Fuck. Where did Grimmjow even see Urahara at?

The thoughts keep coming and coming as Ichigo storms out of the abandoned shop, halting immediately as a small woman clad in black garb stands firm in the middle of the street.

“Ichigo!”

“Shit, Rukia, you already know?!” Ichigo strides quickly over, brown eyes glinting with something short of anxiety; possibly nervousness. If Soul Society gets involved—

“Myself and Renji, not Soul Society,” She nods over to a direction, “Yet. Follow me.”

In a collection of shunpo they stop on top of one of the huge pillars that hold the bridge that’s built across the river. Ichigo’s eyes squint, searching around the area. “Why here?”

“You’d think somewhere hidden in the city would be secluded enough for transportation, but no, that’s not how our contact works.” Rukia shrugs with a sigh, stepping to stand slightly on the edge gazing down at the water.

“Alright Ms. Know-It-All,” Ichigo rolls his eyes, “Explain everything or else I’m going home.”

“And not beat the hell out of Grimmjow?”

... Ichigo mutters a curse to himself.

Rukia smirks over. “A Soul Reaper in The United States caught eye on an Arrancar, though she didn’t know who it was until she told me the description. Grimmjow is in America, and most likely saw Urahara in America as well.”

“So that’s where we’re heading... How do we—“

Ichigo blinks when Rukia gestures over. He steps to the edge, looking down before he blinks wildly with widened eyes. 

The waters down below slowly spiral, swirling into a vortex state of motion. With enough squinting, Ichigo spots a faint light near the center.

“What the hell...?” He asks, curiosity taking refuge in his mind.

“A make-shift Seikaimon. With enough Kidō ability one can create a passage through the World of the Living if two casters connect the binding. I guess she wants to be a bit fancy and mystical.” Another shrug from the raven-haired woman, she whips out her flip phone from her hakama. “A few more minutes before we’re able to go through.”

“Woah woah _woah_!” Ichigo wildly gestures with his hands and arms. “_Okay_. What the hell is all of this?! Make-shift transportation, Soul Reapers in America— I don’t even have my human body!”

“You fool!” Rukia kicks right in Ichigo’s guts, resulting in the usual demise of Ichigo on the ground clutching his body for dear life, “Have control over yourself! We think on our feet and this is where we start from!” Rukia takes another good look at Ichigo before she checks down below, the waters even more wild and uncontrollable, twisting into the strong Seikaimon it will soon become. “Orihime, Chad, and Uryū will be meeting us there, as well as Kon who will occupy your body. That’s why Renji is not with us.” 

BEEP BEEP BEEP. 

Rukia swiftly checks the flood of messages before smirking, pocketing the device. “You are excused from classes, family knows you’re okay, and we’re about to travel across the world. Ready for a swim?” She asks with mischievous eyes that twinkle of mayhem cutting off Ichigo’s oxygen supply.

Shit.

Before he even tries to reject, Rukia grabs his hand and Ichigo’s forced along the ride.

He screams in shock and adrenaline as they both jump downward fast into the vortex! 

A huge SPLASH! 

Enveloping the duo like a wave crashing into the shores.

Slowly the waters return to normal under the bright sun of Karakura Town...

Abruptly waters splash wildly once more, Ichigo emerging swiftly from the water gasping for air. Curses immediately slips from his lips, body shaking from the immense icy cold of the water. Holy shit! He treads the dark waters and quickly rubs his eyes, turning to see Rukia a bit behind him swimming over. 

“Don’t stay there, you fool! Get to shore!” She orders.

Ichigo looks forward, eyes squinting. Then he looks up above almost gaping at the sight.

The stars are out. The sky pitch black dark. Transparent clouds slowly moving up above. 

Night.

With a few more heavy breaths, Ichigo starts swimming to the direction of the shore. At times he sees the vacation houses with some lights on, some passerby still out to enjoy the salty breeze or just relax under the stars. The houses aren’t shaped the way they are in Karakura, actually each building has its own individual style. The beach itself looks like any other beach except for the lifeguard towers. A pier catches his sight as he continues to swim.

This is not Karakura Town at all.

As Ichigo struggles a bit to rise to his feet after finally landing shore, he sighs in relief to see no humans witnessing how the sand is moving on its own or that there’s other movement in water besides the waves. Once standing, he stays still, eyes widening at the sight of another Soul Reaper waiting a few feet away. His body forgets the cold as curiosity replaces his sensations.

“Ichigo, this is—“

“Yūki. I can introduce myself, Lieutenant Kuchiki.” Yūki finishes with a soft chuckle. She uses a quick wind kidō and Ichigo immediately blesses the woman for helping him return to a dry state. “I’m from Squad 9, I’ve been stationed here for a long while, the past year or so since the War.” She gestures with both arms stretched, showcasing the new environment. “Welcome to San Diego, California! Specifically La Jolla shores.”

A breath. 

Another.

“Okay.” Ichigo looks over at Rukia. “You were very literal about traveling to the other side of the world— Actually no! Japan is allllll the way that way!” Ichigo points towards the Pacific Ocean. 

His begins to mute the conversation between Rukia and Yūki as he only picks up Soul Society nonsense. He steps away from the duo, brown eyes examining the open seas and the sand, the normal parking lot and beach housing. Though night time, the atmosphere here feels so nice. He’s thought about a study abroad program in college, maybe even a gap year. The United States was never on his radar, possibly New York but nothing else.

Maybe consideration is in order.

As a Literature student, he can explore some Shakespeare here. Shit, isn’t there an Old Globe Theater here too? Excitement soon bubbles within his spirit, even a slight grin perks up at the new sights set ahead.

He gasps with a hurt noise, holding a part of his torso. “Shit, Rukia!”

“LISTEN! We’ve been going over leads, so you better pay attention or else you won’t get anything on Grimmjow.”

Shit. That’s right.

Grimmjow.

With renewed interest he stands straight, still rubbing his side as he returns to the group. His eyes glance at Yūki, her short ash brown hair but also dark chestnut eyes. She’s a bit taller than Rukia, though wearing the usual Soul Reaper garb, except for the band that wraps around her waist which holds her zanpakutō. Instead of the usual white, it’s a deep grey. He’s heard of Seated Officers that can change their attire, though he guesses Yūki here likes to keep simple.

Yūki smiles over at Ichigo. He’s thankful for some of the night lights that spread from the sidewalk by the parking lot up ahead, or else he wouldn’t be able to see her at all. “Nice to meet you, Ichigo. I’ve heard a lot about you.” She nods. “We have a lead on Grimmjow, as he’s been spotted from time to time by myself and another Soul Reaper, though we’ve kept quiet unless something extreme occurred. When Grimmjow left Karakura through a Garganta, that’s when we’ve been notified by Lieutenant Kuchiki of the abrupt shift in reiatsu before anything went to Soul Society. We quickly exchanged words, now here we are!

We only have a week, Kurosaki-San—“

“Ichigo, please.” He offers his own small smile.

“Ichigo,” She smiles in return, “We only have a week until Soul Society may become suspicious. That’s how long Lieutenant Kuchiki and Abarai can stay in the World of the Living.”

A week. The time frame settles in his mind as he crosses his arms over his chest. 

A week.

“I believe that’s more than enough time.”

“And if it isn’t?” Ichigo asks before he can even think of what he says. Normally doubt has no room in his mind, yet since the incident with Kisuke… 

A moment, before Yūki lightly shrugs. Her own brown eyes dim. “We’ll play it by year. Soul Society is still suspicious of Arrancar, it was a temporary alliance during the war and now that it’s over, I suppose some traditions never die.” Yūki looks behind her as another Soul Reaper arrives through shunpo, bowing heavily and exchanging an address.

She bows in return, before the Soul Reaper leaves the trio.

“Let’s get going. We’re heading to the first part of his trail.”

“Wait!” Ichigo reaches out a second later after the others shunpo away. He quickly catches up as they jump and disappear from a set of buildings to another, disappearing from the Shores and into other parts of town. “What about my friends? Rukia said they’ll be meeting me here!” 

“They will be, Ichigo!” Yūki replies as she leads the group. “They’re taking humans means to get to America, a red eye flight I believe! They’re making sure everything is set to go before they travel! You will most likely see them tomorrow!”

They land on the side of the freeway, taking a break from shunpo and running instead. 

“So where are we headed to anyway?!” Ichigo yells over since a bunch of cars are still driving out and about at night. He spots the high skyscrapers from afar in their direction. 

“Downtown San Diego!” With that answered Yūki shunpos once more, with Rukia and Ichigo following in suit.

After what seems like forever, they land on one of the tallest buildings that’s close by. A bank or something from the sign. As Ichigo steps around his eyes catches glimpses from the dark, Yūki steps to an edge and brings out a flip phone similar to Rukia’s.

“Can we go in?” Yuki asks into the phone.

After a minute of discussion Yūki hangs up, nodding in direction down South a bit. “This way. Just a bit farther.”

In seconds, they land on top of the Hilton by the Convention Center, Ichigo now spotting another area of water. Must be the bay? He takes in a few deep breaths, raking a hand through his spiky orange hair, his bangs immediately going back to cover his forehead a bit over his eyes. Damn, he needs a headband or something now. His hair is growing out longer than usual. 

“Ichigo.” 

Rukia’s voice pushes through his thoughts, seeing her by a door that leads to the stairs. 

With a nod he follows the two Soul Reapers. Soon enough, they arrive at the door to a hotel room, instantly phasing through the walls and into the—

Quite messy—

Room of Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. Bed never mad, a tray of leftover food on the bedside table… Just a mess, really. The maids haven’t cleaned the room yet, so ample amount of Reiatsu still lingers. Just enough for Ichigo to inhale and exhale a deep breath, closing his eyes.

A soft, blue glow radiates from the ginger. Particles buzzing around the tall male, lighting up the room in a warm light.

That in itself widens Yūki’s eyes, watching the spectacle in interest and curiosity. Rukia chuckles over.

“He knows Grimmjow’s Reiatsu, we should be able to find him easily.”

Yūki frowns over. “It’s not that easy—“

The room vibrates from a huge sounding _ROOOOOOOOAAAR_, instantly cutting off the process of Reiryoku search. The furninature within the room shakes, hitting against the walls a few times. 

The trio looks through the window to see a huge flying Hollow up in the night sky. 

A Hollow this strong...?

No words need exchanging. They phase out of the room and step into the sky in record time, swords out and ready to attack.

A slash from Zangetsu cutting off a wing is what ignites the battle. Unsuccessful with the swing, the wing is only half cut with blood oozing out and a cry of pain escapes the Hollow. The mask is huge, the skin extremely durable and strong... 

Ichigo shunpos away in time of the Hollow’s other wing swinging for a strike, though freezes from a flash of Rukia’s Sode No Shirayuki: Hakuren. 

With a final jab into the Hollow’s mask from Yūki’s Zanpkutou, the Hollow stays in the air, motionless... Before slowly descending downward to the ground as the being transforms into spiritual ash. Into nothingness.

Ichigo stands in the sky, narrowed brown eyes watching the transformation. That mask was huge, as well as the wings... Something turns in his guts, a bad instinct rolling through that just keeps poking at his innards. One last look is all Ichigo spares before gathering the two other Soul Reapers.

“You two okay?”

Rukia nods, sheathing her Zanpakutou after using Sode No Shirayuki. “... I hope you felt what I felt.”

“So it wasn’t just me...” Ichigo mutters, glancing at Yūki. Instead of asking, his cinnamon eyes demand answers.

“You two have never been to the United States.” Yuuki begins. “The Hollows here... They’re much more powerful.” They travel down to the ground, now on the sidewalk between the entrance of the hotel and the back of the Convention Center. Yūki steps towards the railing that separates the concrete from the rocks and waters of the bay, spotting the moon’s reflection from the waters up ahead. “That was a newborn Hollow so they were easy to cleanse. In this country, they evolve quicker, move faster, and extremely deadly.” She whips out her phone, checking for any more missions. “It’s quite understandable. Do you watch the news, Ichigo? Global news?”

With a deep breath he nods, closing his eyes for just a second.

“Mass shootings not only hurt the family members still alive, but the souls themselves. Hate only breeds hate.” For now it’s all she provides, a set of BEEPS catching her attention. She takes a second to reply back before pocketing the phone. “For now, I must go. I sent Lieutenant Kuchiki and Abarai your living quarters for the week, as well as other information on where Grimmjow saw Urahara. We’ll keep an eye out, of course.”

She turns around to face the two, bowing deeply. “It was a pleasure to meet both of you. Stay safe. I’ll report back tomorrow to help your search. I believe Grimmjow is keeping a low profile, since even he most likely doesn’t know where Urahara is taking residence in.”

With another nod the Soul Reaper uses shunpo, disappearing from the two.

Soft waves crashing against the rocks of the bay and birds flying through the air occupy the silence around the area. Especially the silence between the two friends. Ichigo exhales heavily, brown eyes watching Rukia check the messages she received from Yūki.

Seven days to find Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the support so far! I won't have scheduled updates for this fic as well as Resurrection, though that fic will be updated before classes start.

**Author's Note:**

> Shoutout for featuring my home town because why not? :)
> 
> If you're interested in seeing more, please show support! I've been contemplating on making this a multi-chapter story, but for now this is a one-shot.
> 
> EDIT: WILL NOW BE MULTIPLE CHAPTERS. More tags to be added as chapters continue.


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